Scaffold board splicer



Dec. 25, 1956 M. E. HOFRICHTER ETAL 2,775,490

SCAFFOLD BOARD SPLICER Fiied July 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y/ ///fi I INVENTORS Ma r (in 5. Hofr/"ch fer. BY Hazel f/ Hofr/c'hfen Dec. 25, 1956 M. E. HOFRICHTER ETAL 2,775,490

SCAF'F'OLD BOARD SPLICER Filed July 29, 1955 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 N N E N V E\ N INVENTORS SCAFFOLD BOARD SPLICER Martin E. Hofrichtr and Hazel H. Hofrichter, Hot Springs, Ark.

Application July 29, 1955, Serial No. 525,161,

3 Claims. Cl. 304-38) This invention relates to scafiolds, and more particularly to clamp means for securing together the boards or I planks forming .the floor of scaffolding (to provide a platform thereon.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved clamp means for use in securing together the boards orplanks forming .the floor of scaffolding, said clamp means being simple in construction and be ing easy to install, and providing a secure connection of the boards or planks employed in scaifolding.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved scatiold board splicing means which is inexpensive to manufacture, which is durable in construction, and which may be rapidly and easily applied to fasten together a plurality of boards to form the flooring of a scaffold, any desired number of intermediate elements being usable in the clamp means to provide any desired width of scafiolding.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent firom the fiollowing description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the flooring of a scaffold wherein the longitudinal boards are fastened together by the use of clamp means according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse vertical cross secrtional view taken .on the line 22of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom view of the portion of the scaffiold flooring of Figure 1 including the clamp means of the present invention.

Figure 4 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a firagm-enltary elevational detail View taken on the line 66.of Figure 2.

Figure 7 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 77 of Figure 2. t

Figure 8 is an enlarged cross sectional detail view taken on the line 88 of Figure 2.

Figure 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional detail view taken on line 99 of Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, 11 and 12 respectively designate the outside end boards of .a plurality of longitudinal boards fiorming the flooring of a scafiold. In the specific flooring shown in Figure 1, the flooring comprises the outside longitudinal boards 11 and 12 and a pair of aligned longitudinal inside boards 13 and 14 which are shorter than the outside boards 11 and 12 and which abut at 15, whereby the inner longitudinal floor boards 13 and 14 must be spliced together as well as secured to the outside boards 11 and 12.

In accordance with the present invention, the boards 11, 13, 14 and 12 are fiastened together by clamp means comprising respective T-shaped spaced bars 16 and 17 having their vertical flanges 18 and 19 respectively disposed between the inside longitudinal edge of board 11 and the adjacent longitudinal edges of the boards 14 and 13, and between the inside longitudinal edge of the board 12 and the adjacent longitudinal edges of said boards 14 and 13. The outside edges of the outer longitudinal boardsll and 12 are received in respective longitudinal angle bars 20 and 21, as shown in Figure 2.

The horizontal top flange of the T bar 16 overlies the inner marginal portion of board 11 and the adjacent marginal portions of the boards 14 and 13, and the horizontal flange of the T-bar 17 overlies the inner marginal portion of the board 12 and the adjacent marginal portions of boards 13 and 14. j

The vertical flanges of the T-bars 16 and 17 extend below the bottom surfiaces of the boards 11, 12, 13 and i 14. The angle bars 20 and 21 also depend below the bottom surfaces of the boards, as shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 1, the angle bars 20 and 21 and the T-bars 16 and 17 are substantially the same in length and are transversely aligned adjacent the transverse plane of thesplice joint 15. Secured to the lower corner portions of the vertical flange 19 of T-bar 17 are the inwardly extending, transverse sleeve elements 22 which telescopically. receive inwardly extending transverse rod members 23 secured to the lower corner portionsof the vertical flange 18. Secured to the lower corner portions of the angle bar 21 are respective transverse 24 which telescopically receive transversely extendingfud'cl elements 25 secured to the lower corner portions offlan' 19, as shown in Figure 2. Similar sleeves 26 are secured to the lower corner portions of the angle bar 20 and telescopically receive transversely extending rod elements 27 secured .to the lower corner portions of the flange 18.

As shown in Figure 2, the sleeves 22, 24 and 26 closely underlie the bottom surfaces of the boards 12, 13, 14 and 26, and the rods 25, 23 and 27 also underlie said bottom surfiaces, said rods being slidably received in the sleeves and acting to maintain the angle bars 20 and 21 and the spacer members 16 and 17 in transverse alignment.

The angle bar 21 is formed at its intermediate portion below the horizontal plane of the sleeves 24 with the transversely extending, square sleeve member 28 which extends horizontally, as shown in Figure 2, and which is directed toward the opposite angle bar 20. Said opposite angle bar has Welded to the intermediate portion of its vertical flange .a U-bolt 29 having the depending threaded arms 30, 30.

Engaged through the sleeve 28 is a tension screw member 31 provided on its outer end with a constant nut 32 and formed on its inner end with an eye 33. Screw member 31 is provided with a squared shank portion 28 which is slidably and non-rotatably received in the square sleeve 28, as shown in Figure 9. Designated at 34 is a cable having one end thereof secured to the eye'33 and having the other end thereof received between a first clamping plate 35 and a second clamping plate 36 secured to the legs 30, 30 of the U-bolt 29. As shown in Figure 8, the lower clamping plate 36 is formed with a channel 37 in which the end of the cable 34 is received, and forced against the upper plate 36 by clamping pressure exerted thereon by clamping nuts 38 proby said inner boards are rigidly secured between the spacer bars 16 and 17. i

As will be readily apparent, any number of floor boards may be secured together, by employing additional spacer members similar to the spacer bar 17 between ad- 3 ja'cent longitildinal hoards, vvhereby the scaffold flooring may be made f any desired As will be apparent from Figure 1, the clamping means is employed at any point on the flooring Where 3. splice joint 15 occurs between a pair of inner lon'gitndinal boards, and the clamping means mayaisje be employed Where a splice joint is employed in one or the outer longitudinal boards of the scalfold floor-ing.

As will be readily apparent, the vamious components of the scaffold flooring clamp device above described may b'ernade in any length, width, or size, in accordance with the requirements of the user, Within the spirit of [the present invention. 4 I

While a "specific embodiment of an improved clamp means for use with scaffold floorboards has been diselose'd in the foregoing description, it Will befunderstood that various modifioartio ifs in the spirit di t elm/ention ma occur-mo those skilled inthe Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the in emion except as defined by the scope of the a pended nan-1s.

What is claimed is:

' "1. In a scaffold, a pluralityof longitudinally extending boards, respective spacer bars between adjaeent boards, flange elements on the spacer bars overly-ing the'top surfaces of -sfaid adjacent beards, transversely extending telefsooping'elements secured to the portions bfthe bar's beneath'tlie boards, respective angle bars receiving. the outer edges of the outermost boards, and tension eonneeting 'the angle bars and extending transversely beneath the boards.

2. In a scafiold, a plurality of longitudinally extending warns, respective 'spaee r b ar 's Between adjacent boards, flange elements on the spacer bars overlying the top surfaces of said adjacent boards, respective angle bars receiving the outer edges of the outermost boards, tension means connecting the angle bars and extending transversely beneath the boards, and transversely extending telescoping elements on the ends of the angle bars and spacer bars, said telescoping elemen ts interengaging with each other to hold the angle bars and spacer bars in transvei se alignment.

3. In a scafiold, a plurality of longitudinally extending boards, respective spacer bars between adjacent boards, flange elements on the spacer barsoverlyin-g the top surfaces of said adjacent Boards, "resp'eetive angle bars reeeiving the outer edges of the outermost boards, tension means connecting the angle bars and extending transversely beneath the boards, transversely extending teleseeping rod and sleeve elements on the ends of the angle bar-s and spacer bars, said telescoping elements interengaging with each other to hold the angle bars and spacer bans in transverse alignment, said tension means eoniprising a tension s'c-rw member threadedly engaging one of the angle bars and extending transversely there- No references cited.

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